Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
A Research Division of Carnegie Mellon University

Hunt Institute Archives Text Discovery Platform

Search a large and growing portion of our online collections, including handwritten documents.
PROTOTYPE

This prototype uses state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, including a vision-language model (VLM) capable of reading handwritten documents as well as typed and printed text, to create searchable transcriptions of digitized materials in the Hunt Institute Archives. This makes it possible to search the textual contents of individual pages, including material that may not be described in the archival catalog.

Use Keyword search for specific words, names, dates, scientific names, or phrases. Try Semantic search (experimental) to describe a topic, question, or kind of material when you do not know the exact wording used in the documents.

About the AI-generated transcriptions

The transcriptions are generated automatically from page images and may contain errors, especially with difficult handwriting, unusual names, multiple languages, image-quality problems, or complex layouts. They are intended primarily as a discovery aid rather than authoritative transcriptions.

Each result provides the generated transcription and links to the original digitized material and associated archival description so that readings can be checked against the source. The transcription workflow uses AI models run locally by the Hunt Institute.

About Keyword and Semantic search

Keyword search is the default and matches the wording in the transcriptions. Results contain all your terms. Use quotes for an exact phrase. Substring matching is supported, so aceae can find plant-family names ending in -aceae.

Semantic search (experimental) is useful when you know what kind of material you are looking for but do not know the words used in the documents. It ranks transcribed passages by similarity of meaning, so relevant results may not contain the exact words in your query.

Semantic queries can be broad research topics, descriptions of activities or relationships, or natural-language questions. For example:

plant collecting and fieldwork in South America medicinal, culinary, or other traditional uses of plants chromosomes and plant classification early herbals and botanical illustrations botanical institutions exchanging plants, seeds, and specimens microscopy and photomicrography in botanical research How did botanists and gardeners introduce plants from one region to another? grafting, budding, and propagation of tropical fruit crops

Semantic search is not a chatbot: a question is used as a search query, and the system returns archival passages that appear conceptually related to it rather than generating an answer or summary. Short descriptions and ordinary research questions generally work better than lists of disconnected keywords. Quotation marks have no special meaning in Semantic mode. Cross-language matching may work in some cases, but it should not be treated as translation.

Keyword and Semantic search are complementary. Keyword search lets you require particular wording; Semantic search can surface differently worded passages about the same subject. Depending on the research question, trying both can reveal different useful material.

Open a result: use the prominent page-and-transcription link to see the metadata, PDF, and full transcription. Keyword-search terms are highlighted in the transcription.

Archives Collections Database (ArchivesSpace): the Collection, Item/Folder, and Digital Object links open the corresponding archival records. Collection-level dates describe the collection as a whole, not necessarily the specific item or page.

If a PDF does not load: on the detail page, use the Digital Object link, click “Go to file” in ArchivesSpace, and navigate to the page number shown here.

Current limitations
  • Automated transcriptions can contain missing or incorrect text or unintended repetition. Difficult handwriting, image quality, unusual layouts, and multiple languages can reduce accuracy. Always consult the original page image when an exact reading matters.
  • Semantic search remains experimental. Its rankings are an additional discovery aid, not a complete or definitive set of relevant results, and highly ranked pages can sometimes be only broadly related.
  • This is an active prototype. Search coverage, transcriptions, functionality, and the interface may continue to change as additional archival material is processed and the system is improved.

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Page 2 · DO #1159 · 27_Morrison_Bx7FF3r

Collection
Benjamin Yoe Morrison (1891–1966) papers
Item/Folder
Translation and transcription of two articles published in France in 1929, typed, n.d.
Digital Object
DO #1159, page 2
Collection-level dates
1915–1965, n.d.
Open PDF at page 2 ↗

Page transcription

From Reports of the Sessions of the Societe de Biologie, Volume XIX,
No 38 January 4, 1929----1923-1931
Contribution to the study of chromosomes among Iris
Report of Marc Simonet, presented by A. Guilliermond

In a former report,(1), we gave the results of our first studies in
the enumeration of chromosomes among Iris. Since those studies, we have
been able to make observations also among Iris apparently not hitherto
studied. Most of these plants belong to important collections of the
experimental work of the Etablissements Vilmorin, at Verrières-le-
Buisson (Val-d'Oise) At this time of the year we have been able to
study only the number of chromosomes. The method employed
is the one formerly cited; rating according to Nawashin And coloration
according to the of Rigaud.

Among the Iris, we found: for the Oncocyclus section:
2 n = 20( the number already observed by us for the Iris susana L.,)

For Iris Lortetii Barbey., Iris atropurpurea Baker., Iris Sari Schott.,
Iris xiphium Foster.; for the Regelia (not yet studied);
2n =44 with the Iris stolonifera Maxim., Iris vaga Foster., Iris Karkaloff
Korolkowi Regel., Iris Hoogiana Dykes,

Among the bulbous Iris, we have found: for the section of Juno
(not yet studied)2n=22 in the Iris bucharica Foster.; for the Xiphium
section: 2n=32 with the Iris juncea Poir., 2n=34 with Iris hispanica
Ker-Gawl., Iris xiphium L.,(we have alrday found this number in the
Iris filifolia hort., this kind is only, on the whole, according to
Kykes (2) a form of the Iris xiphium praecox), 2n=42 in the Iris
xiphoides Ehrh.

Let us point out that, among Iris xiphoides, as elsewhere with Iris
tingitana Boiss., two chromosomes are neatly segmented, both pieces
being very finely Bound between them by a thread of chromatin. This
latter can sometimes, under the action of the fixator or xxx of the razor
be broken, and make one believe that the two kinds have 2n=44. Alone
the study of the mitosis of reduction allows us to determine the exact number of chromosomes in the two plantes. Let usalso observe
the constance of the number of chromosomes in both the Oncocyclus and
Regelia sections. Let us point out still further that all kinds of
Iris, except Iris xiphoides and tingitana, present, in the somatic
metaphases, a more or less differing number of satellites;
there are 5 of them in the Iris Sari and Iris vaga, 2 in Iris bucharica
and Iris Xiphium, 1 with Iris juncea.